Swimming, Shopping, and the Misfortune of Edwardo the Frog

Going to the beach is a fulfilling experience for our family. We love how much there is to explore and create in one small area.

Recently, we went to our favorite beach in the area. This particular beach is a favorite for tourists, and is clean and free from trash, which is enough to win our love. It is quite a contrast from the others we have visited (where it's not uncommon to find debris) and yet, we love them all.

This particular evening, I was feeling rather tired, and decided I would skip on the swimming. So I didn't wear a swimsuit--and then completely regretted that decision. The beach was crowded, (as should be expected on a Saturday evening) and the sun was ever-so-slowly retreating behind the mountains for the night. I have to admit that that was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, and I wanted so badly to jump into the water and swim in the magnificent colors that reflected so clearly on the ocean. I then satisfied myself by trying to draw the sky in front of me.When the sun disappeared behind the mountains and it got dark, my parents decided now was the time to leave.

Shopping
Our family decided that we would stop by a nearby Pasar Malam (night market) that I had wanted to visit. This night market is for tourists, and so it is filled with souvenirs. I am starting a collection of small animal trinkets that I can display on my cabinet, and I thought that this would be a good place to start collecting. As we walked through the many stalls, we saw wood-carved elephants, Vietnamese lacquer paintings, china tea sets, and one stall even had some African masks!

My mom and I were backtracking to a shop where I had seen some wooden elephants that I wanted. Before we got there, I saw a wooden frog, picked it up, and remarked that it was cute. My mom then explained that the stick in its mouth was to be taken out, and rubbed across the spiky spine on the frog's back. I did, and I was amazed that the noise it made sounded like a real frog's croak! Seeing my interest, the stall owner rushed over, determined to make this sale. I asked: "How much?" and she replied that the frog was 25 ringgit. I was disappointed. I did not want to spend that much money.

Bargaining
We started walking away, when the lady called out, "20 ringgit!" My mom turned around and said "Do you want to bargain the price down?" I was surprised. I had never thought that in Malaysia there would be bargaining. But as soon as I thought of it, I got excited. I said, "I will pay 15 ringgit." The lady shook her head and said, " No, 20 ringgit." I replied that it was too much, and we headed for the next stall, when she called out again. "Fine, fine, I'll do 15." I rushed over, grabbed the frog and smiled while my mom paid her. I was very pleased that I had been able to lower the price 10 ringgit from her original price.

The Misfortune of Edwardo the Frog
On the car ride home, I began to think of a name and a background story for this frog. When we got home, I proudly pronounced him "Edwardo from the Legion of the Three Croaks." Here's his story:

One evening, Edwardo went into the woods to hunt. He got lost and could not find his way back for three days. When he finally got back to the Legion of the Three Croaks, he was accused of a murder that had taken place the night before! They put him on trial, and he was falsely found guilty. The day after, Edwardo was punished and turned into a wooden frog. But, the Legion thought it unfair to let him witness all, and yet not have a voice of his own. So they placed a wooden stick in his mouth, to let all who wished to pull the stick down his back and hear him croak:   "I'm inn-o-cent, I'm inn-o-cent."